If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Stories.........Let's get it started.

03-19-2006, 12:44 PM

A few years ago I had to repair a 2" copper line on a building air conditioning system. We found the leak in a chase between the third and fourth floors. In order to make the repair, I was standing on the top of the third floor wall with my left foot, the right was just hanging out in the air of the chase. I had my left arm wrapped around the support for the pipe and held a mirror in my left hand to see the hole that had been rubbed in the copper. I had my turbotorch handle in my right hand pointed kinda back toward my face while my partner held the tank off the floor so the hose would reach where I was working. And (the best part) I had to hold the stick of SilPhos in my teeth.

Comment

Well, once, in metals class at school. We were making shafts for c clamps, and this deranged guy we all call bouboule came up to me with his shaft, still scorching hot from the lathe and sticked it on my arm. Now I have a 2" x 1/2" scar on my arm that won't go away. Believe me! I'v had my revenge!

Save our species! Lower metal prices!

Comment

I was grinding a slot wider in a tractor steering arm that was still attached to the tractor on one end. I was holding the other. My gloves were on the bench not on my hands and I now have 10 stitches to show for it. The grinder caught and went up my thumb. I'm 42 years old and have been welding since I was 12 in my fathers shop. Still do dumb things though. Believe this. I didn't want to get my gloves dirty. The part I was working on was really greasey. Next time I'll ruin the gloves first. Feels better paying for new gloves than the stitches do

Scott
HMW [Heavy Metal welding]

Comment

Dumb # 1. Here's a funny one but don't tell anyone. I have a 3 story house that had a dumb waiter between all the floors. It had been removed but the shaft (hole) was still there. My upstairs bathtub drain sprung a leak so i climbed up the shaft standing on some cleats that were nailed to the wall and with an 18" Rigid pipe wrench i proceded to work on the line. YUP cleats came loose and guess what, i went about 30 mph all the way to the celler, pipe wrench right behind me. My wife about wet her pants when she saw me go by the open door. WOW what a ride i don't care to repeat...Bob
Dumb #2. The blizzard of 1977. My buddy buried his 1949 English Ford in the street, no problem i will get out and push. I got behind the car and proceded to push him free, the car caught some traction and up the hill WE went. He stopped at the next Stop sign and i was standing there, knowing that i can't run that fast he asked how i got there. My coat got hooked on his rear bumper guard and away we went. Those were the days. Can't tell #3 ...Bob

Comment

Once I tried to make a solid rocket propellant. I think I was about 18 or so.
I had a few different grades of pistol and rifle powder laying around, so I mixed them and refined them with a mortar and pestile. I needed something to bind it together so that I could pour it into a form, and I found something great, Testors model cement. I knew the stuff was flammable and flexible so it was perfect. I mixed and mixed and mixed until I had a consistent gray color throughout. I poured it into a 6" x 1" piece of metal condiut and inserted a .25" rod to make a burn hole. I gave it a day to set up. I'll get to the good part, I lit the fuse and got behind a steel door.......good thing I did.....the 3/8 X 24" x 8' plate of steel that was holding it to the concrete got bowed and thrown 10 feet. The concrete slab was cracked and missing some of itself.

I'm not much of a chemist, but there I was mixing three or four different nitro-celluloses (the IMR and Hercules powders) with a tolulene based glue.

Trinitrotoluene is more commonly known as TNT, don't know how close I got, IF I even got close to making it, but the power of that blast knocked me stupid through that door. I'll never do that again. I'm going to rely on ESTES to make all of my rocket motors from now on.

Comment

Dumb - Drank 3-4 week old coffee with mold, cig butts, and shop dust for $40 bucks (6 months on the job, 19 yrs old). Caused a series of about 5-6 guys watching to puke. The first guy ralphed, then 2nd and so on. It didn't phase me. But it was pretty stupid!

Dumber - Out in the feild and ran out of acetylene for my torch. Out of frustration I grabbed some 7018 rods cranked the heat up on the machine and made my cut. Then realized I used all my rods so I couldn't weld had to go back to town anyway.

Dumbest - I have a scar on my belly and pecker because on my 3rd day at the welding shop I stood at the end of a pipe and cut it with a torch. You guessed it. Fire ran down the pipe and down my pants. (about 20 years ago)

Comment

Once I tried to make a solid rocket propellant. I think I was about 18 or so.
I had a few different grades of pistol and rifle powder laying around, so I mixed them and refined them with a mortar and pestile. I needed something to bind it together so that I could pour it into a form, and I found something great, Testors model cement. I knew the stuff was flammable and flexible so it was perfect. I mixed and mixed and mixed until I had a consistent gray color throughout. I poured it into a 6" x 1" piece of metal condiut and inserted a .25" rod to make a burn hole. I gave it a day to set up. I'll get to the good part, I lit the fuse and got behind a steel door.......good thing I did.....the 3/8 X 24" x 8' plate of steel that was holding it to the concrete got bowed and thrown 10 feet. The concrete slab was cracked and missing some of itself.

I'm not much of a chemist, but there I was mixing three or four different nitro-celluloses (the IMR and Hercules powders) with a tolulene based glue.

Trinitrotoluene is more commonly known as TNT, don't know how close I got, IF I even got close to making it, but the power of that blast knocked me stupid through that door. I'll never do that again. I'm going to rely on ESTES to make all of my rocket motors from now on.

That story reminds me of my younger brother 20+ years ago when he and his buddy decided to take a solid propellant model engine apart and light it. One held the can and the other lit it. When the smoke cleared it singed their eyelashes and eyebrows and some of their hair off. All the day before senior pictures in High School. The look on the faces when they got on the bus was priceless His nickname was ET......... For about a month

Comment

I've got a purdy' long list.......but I'll keep it short.
I was finishing up the siding on one of the peaks of the house. I got to the top (15ft. or so) to nail another pc. when the catch on the extension ladder slipped and the ladder de-extended. I slid to the ground in slow motion one rung at a time. I must say that's a little hard on knees & ankles.

Comment

I was asked to fix a leak in a sprinkler system at a Home Depot during construction. I said sure. I messed up a knee earlier in the week and had to wear one of those blue knee braces. I got to the job and they said the man lift could'nt get to the leak. I had to climb out of the lift on to a pallet rack of patio stones and reach up and weld it. The manager just kind of look at me and walked the other way. I was cursing the knee when I had to jump from the lift to the pallet of stones. I will say they made me wear fall protection while in the lift. I guess I didn't need it when I got out.

This happened on another job. I had to wear fall protecction in a lift but not on a 40ft ladded. What's easier to fall off?

Comment

poped the hood of the car to look for a vacume leak. Instead of the prop rod I just pushed the hood all the way up and past 90 degs so I could get to the back of the motor. gust of wind blows down the street, and throws the hood over the top and onto the back of my head. 5 staples and a lot of blood later, I ALWAYS use the prop rod

Millermatic 180 Auto Set

Comment

I was working on a platform made of 10 " I beams had to grind at the coping area of the beam{ where it fits into other beam** grinder disc got caught in the opening threw 7 " grinder out of my hands and into my crotch I saw RED thru cut in pants took off to foremans office he looked at me and laughed I pulled my pants down putting pressure on my thigh expecting the bleeding to get worse thats when I saw the bottom of my shirt had a red tag on in Just a scratch Thank GOD

Comment

2 of many.
Made a drill press into a lathe of sorts in order to cut elec motor armature com rings flat and clean. It worked great for about 4 armatures and then things went very wrong. A com ring tooth came loose and took my thumb nail and a good chunk of the nail bed off in one motion. That sucker took about 6 months to heal all the way.

Putting a floor in I was using a long strip of metal as a straight edge. The strip had a little nick in is and the nick made the blade pop up and over the edge and right through the bed of my thumb. (other thumb this time) The cut was almost through the entire pad of the thumb and cut all the nerves. blood came out like a stuck pig and freaked out the homeowner. covered it up with paper towels and black tape and finished the floor.
Fast foward about 10 years. I still can't feel in the front of my thumb. Finished cutting some steel angle iron with a torch, took my gloves off and leaned over to check someting on the underside of the cut off angle iron. I put my dumb numb thumb right on a glob of fresh slag. Did not feel a thing but I started smelling hamburgers cooking. Cooked a 1/4 inch round and deep hole that took forever to heal.